The Ethics of Online Price Discrimination

Eric Goldman, professor of law, Santa Clara University, and director of its High Tech Law Institute

Kirthi Kalyanam, J.C. Penney Research Professor and director of the Retail Management Institute

at Santa Clara University

Ashkan Soltani, independent researcher and affiliate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University

In the world of online retail, some businesses are presenting different customers with different prices for the same goods, depending on factors such as the location of the customer, browsing history, etc. Some argue that this is unfair; others argue that it maximizes the efficiency of the whole system. This panel discussion will address the legal, economic, ethical, and technological aspects of the increasingly common practice of differential pricing online.

Panelists: Eric Goldman, a Professor of Law at Santa Clara University and director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University; Kirthi Kalyanam, J.C. Penney Research Professor and director of the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University; and Ashkan Soltani, independent researcher and affiliate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University.

Sponsored by The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and The High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University.